This invention relates to an apparatus for the application of compositions to a person""s skin, and more particularly, for example, to an apparatus adapted for use in a booth for the uniform spray application of artificial tanning compositions to the human body.
The cosmetic effect of tanned skin has long been a desired goal for many people. This desire has led to the development of a large and varied industry supplying compositions and devices to facilitate natural or UV radiation induced tanning of the skin. Another market has developed for compositions to more rapidly provide the visual effect of tanned skin without sun exposure. In addition to the development of the multitude of sun tanning, sun screening and artificial tanning and bronzing lotions, creams and oils now available, various applicator devices for the different compositions have been devised, ranging from simple squeeze bottles and pump sprays, to hand-held spray canisters similar to pump-style pesticide spray canisters, to elaborate spray rooms that generate mists of suntan lotions or artificial tanning compositions for application to a user standing in the room.
These various applicator devices include U.S. Pat. No. 1,982,509 to Frank showing a belt-driven carriage apparatus in a vertically oriented cabinet designed to carry, among several alternatives, a compressed air sprayer head and one or more reservoirs for liquid or powder compositions to be spray applied through the sprayer head to all or part of the body of a user standing in front of the apparatus. The ""509 patent does not disclose the spray application of tanning compositions, and the single spray nozzle would necessarily result in an uneven application in overlap areas as the user turns for sequential sprayer passes, and/or missed areas under the arms or on the insides of the arms and legs. The belt driven carriage of the ""509 patent is raised and lowered along a guide pole in the cabinet with the start and stop positions for the carriage and the activation of the sprayer apparatus being coordinated by a complicated set of electromechanical linkages and trip-switches.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,460,192 and 5,664,593, both to McClain, describe variations of an apparatus to coat a user""s body up to the neck with suntan lotion or sunscreen. Both variations provide for a cylindrical enclosure in which the user stands with head and neck protruding through a hole in the top of the enclosure. The apparatus of the ""192 patent provides for three liquid spray nozzles directed at the shoulder level, the waist level, and at the level of the legs, respectively. When activated by a user, the apparatus sprays a dose of suntan lotion or sunscreen while the user rotates while standing. Excess spray is drained through a grating at the base of the enclosure.
The apparatus of the ""593 patent atomizes the lotion into a forced-air stream which then enters the enclosure through three ports at the level of the shoulder, the waist, and the legs, respectively. An evacuation fan draws air from within the enclosure through a vent close to the base of the enclosure, creating more air turbulence in the enclosure and also recirculating excess atomized lotion from the air in the enclosure back into the forced-air stream in an effort to more efficiently and more completely coat the user""s body. The user""s body must still rotate within the enclosure, while the user""s neck protrudes through the close fitting hole in the top of the enclosure. The apparatus of the ""593 patent also collects condensed over-spray from the recirculated air with the evacuation fan mechanism, as well as draining excess over-spray from the enclosure through a grating in the enclosure base.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,922,333 to Laughlin describes a method of applying a wide variety of fluids to the body, including sunless tanning compositions, by manually directing a spray nozzle at the area to be coated, or preferably, by atomizing the fluid into an air current and directing the air current against the person being coated, and collecting the residual spray through a venting system, preferably including a filtration means.
Another apparatus presently in the marketplace provides for a booth-type enclosure with a multiplicity of fixed spray nozzles at various heights in the corners of the booth. These fixed nozzles direct a spray of artificial tanning composition at the user standing in the center of the booth. Upon completion of a spray cycle, an evacuation fan evacuates residual spray from the booth through a filtered venting system.
These devices have major drawbacks including incomplete and/or streaky application of tanning composition, inefficient use of tanning composition, discomfort for the user, difficult or inadequate sanitation of the apparatus between uses, and, when specifically used with sunless tanning compositions, do not mitigate the unsightly over-staining of the feet and toes, which are significantly more susceptible to staining by such compositions compared to other areas of the skin. The prior spray booths do not provide for complete, uniform coating. Those spray apparatuses particularly adapted for use for the application of tanning compositions produce undesirable air currents within their enclosures and around the body of a user, which currents can inhibit efficient deposition of the atomized composition on the user. These devices produce swirling clouds of liquid-laden air, but the air currents generated tend to swirl around and bypass the user""s body with much of the composition being vented, drained, or deposited on the enclosing walls. The spray reaching the user""s body in these prior apparatuses also tends to be subject to significant droplet coalescence adding to dripping and streaking. Thus the coatings tend to be uneven with either insufficient deposition of composition on the body and/or heavily coated areas resulting in uneven dripping and running of the composition down the body.
The present invention provides an automated apparatus for providing a more nearly uniform and efficient coating of portions of a human body, as for example, to provide more uniform coloring with artificial tanning compositions. The claims should be the guide for understanding of the scope of the invention to be protected, but the following comments may be of value in understanding the advantages that some applications of the claimed invention may provide.
The preferred design of the present invention provides a spraying apparatus for coating portions of a human body that avoids simultaneous, oppositely directed, spray directions to enhance uniformity and efficiency of the coating. The preferred design also avoids excessive air currents which produce boundary layers in front of the body and eddy currents behind the body which can inhibit efficient deposition of a sprayed composition on a human body being coated.
In another aspect of the preferred design of the invention, a spray apparatus for coating a human body with artificial tanning solution is provided, which minimizes undesirable over-staining of the feet and toes of a person being coated.
In another aspect of the invention, a spray booth for coating a human body with artificial tanning solution which includes a wash-down system is provided for easy and efficient sanitation of the booth between successive users.
In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for applying a tanning composition to a human body comprising a booth with a location for a human body within the booth, an arm moveably mounted within the booth, three or more active spray nozzles on the arm with none of the active spray nozzles oriented to spray in a direction substantially toward any other active spray nozzle, with the active spray nozzles being operably coupled to a source of tanning composition. In one preferred embodiment, each of the spray nozzles defines a spray direction towards the location for the person being coated and the spray directions of the nozzles are substantially parallel. In another preferred embodiment, the arm has opposing ends and defines outer portions adjacent the opposing ends and a central portion between the outer portions, and the arm has at least one spray nozzle on each of the outer portions and on the central portion of the arm, such that each spray nozzle defines a spray direction towards the location for the user, with the outer portion spray nozzles each being convergingly directed towards the location for the user at an angle between about 10 and about 20 degrees from parallel to the spray direction of the nozzle(s) on the central portion.
In another aspect of the preferred design, the booth further comprises a second arm moveably mounted within the booth having three or more second active spray nozzles on the second arm, with none of the second active spray nozzles oriented to spray in a direction substantially toward any other second active spray nozzle, and the three or more second active spray nozzles oriented to spray in a direction towards the location for a user in the booth, and wherein the second active spray nozzles are operable to spray tanning composition only when offset from the first arm. In a preferred design of this aspect of the invention, the second arm is positioned on the opposite side of the location for a user from said first arm.
In another aspect of the preferred design of the invention, an apparatus is provided for applying an artificial tanning composition to a human user without overly darkening the user""s feet, the apparatus comprising a booth suitable for containing a user""s torso, legs and feet; a foot rinser near the bottom of the booth; and a coating sprayer above the bottom of the booth containing an artificial tanning composition including an artificial tanning agent for spraying portions of said user""s torso and legs, and operable while said foot rinser is in use.
In a preferred design, the foot rinser has one or more rinse nozzles mounted to the booth and connected to a pressurized source of foot rinser solution to rinse the feet of a person standing in the booth. In one preferred design, the foot rinser rinses the feet for at least the time period during which the coating sprayer sprays tanning composition.
In yet another aspect of the preferred design, the apparatus includes an input device for inputting or measuring a user""s height, and the coating sprayer traverses to an upper height about equal to the input or measured height. In one alternative, the upper height can be entered by an operator with a keypad or other input device. As another alternative, the apparatus has a photo-optic sensor, ultrasonic sensor, or other object sensor or intelligent vision device, which, for examples, may be either mounted to the arm or to the booth, such that the sensor will measure the height of the person standing in the booth. The sensors are coupled to the coating sprayer drive control to limit the upper height traversed by the arm.
Yet another aspect of a preferred design of the present invention provides for An apparatus for differentially applying a composition to a human body comprising an applicator for spray applying a first liquid containing a certain non-zero concentration of an active agent to one part of a body and for spray applying a second liquid having a different concentration of said active agent to a different part of the body. In a one embodiment, the applicator uses different nozzles for the first and second liquids. In a preferred embodiment, the nozzles for the first and second liquids can operate simultaneously. In a further preferred embodiment, at least one nozzle for the second liquid operates substantially the entire time the nozzles for the first liquid operate. As examples, the second liquid can have an active agent concentration of zero and the active agent may be an artificial tanning agent. As another example, the second liquid may have a lower, non-zero concentration of active agent and may be applied to areas of the body more sensitive to the activity of the active agent, thereby obtaining a more uniform response to the agent""s activity over all areas of a user""s skin upon coating.
In yet another aspect of the preferred design, the apparatus is provided with a washdown nozzle mounted to the spray booth and coupled to a source of sanitizing solution to wash the spray booth enclosing walls and floor. The washdown nozzle or nozzles are preferably rotating, tank washing type nozzles.
Related objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following figures and description of the preferred embodiments.